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CURATO´RES

CURATO´RES were public officers of various kinds
under the Roman empire, several of whom were first established by Augustus.
(Suet. Aug. 37.) The most important of
them were as follow:--

1. CURATORESALVEIETRIPARUMETCLOACARUM, who had
the charge of the navigation of the Tiber. The duties of their office may be
gathered from Ulpian (Dig. 43, tit. 15). It was
reckoned very honourable, the office being always held by consulars, and the
persons who filled it received afterwards the title of comites. (Cf.
C. I. L. i. p. 180; Wilmanns, Inscr. Lat.
No. 846, 849, 850, &c.)

2. CURATORESANNONAE, who purchased corn and oil for
the state, and sold it again at a small price among the poorer citizens.
They were also called curatoresemendifrumentietolei, and σιτῶναι and ἐλαιῶναι. (Dig. 50,
tit. 5, s. 18.5.) Their office belonged to the personaliamunera; that is, it did not require any expenditure of a
person's private property: but the curatores received from the state a
sufficient [p. 1.576]sum of money to purchase the required
amount. (Dig. 50, tit. 8, s. 9.5.) The title
appears on incriptions either as curatorfrumenticomparandiinannonamurbis (Wilmanns, 1252), or once as frumenti curator ex s. c., which appears to have
been a special case (ib. 1113). A more common title is praefectifrumentidandi (q. v.); but cp. Frontin. de
Aquaed. 101, curatoresfrumenti.

4. CURATORESKALENDARII, who had the care in
municipal towns of the kalendaria; that is, the
books which contained the names of the persons to whom public money, which
was not wanted for the ordinary expenses of the town, was lent on interest.
The office belonged to the personaliamunera.
(Dig. 50, tit. 4, s. 18.2; tit. 8, s. 9.7;
Heinecc. Antiq. Rom. 3.15.4.) These officers are mentioned in
inscriptions found in municipal towns, e. g. at Praeneste (Wilmanns, 1798,
1799), Corfinium (ib. 2062), Arretium (ib. 2093), &c.

6. CURATORESOPERUMPUBLICORUM, who had the care of
all public buildings, such as the theatres, baths, aqueducts, &c.,
and agreed with the contractors for all necessary repairs to them. Their
duties under the republic were discharged by the aediles and censors. [CENSORES.] They are frequently mentioned in
inscriptions. (Wilmanns, 636, 1163, 1181, 1188, 1224, &c.)

7. CURATORESREGIONUM, who had the care of the
fourteen districts into which Rome was divided, and whose duty it was to
prevent all disorder and extortion in their respective districts. This
office was first instituted by Augustus. (Suet. Aug.
30.) There were usually two officers of this kind for each
district: Alexander Severus, however, appears to have appointed only one for
each; but these were persons of consular rank, who were to have jurisdiction
in conjunction with the praefectus urbi. (Lamprid. Alex. Sev.
33.) We are told that M. Aurelius, among other regulations, gave special
directions that the curatores regionum should either punish, or bring before
the praefectus urbi for punishment, all persons who exacted from the
inhabitants more than the legal taxes. (Jul. Capitol. M. Ant.
Phil. 11. Cf. Wilmanns, 1222, 1715.)